Hearing aid earpiece



1965 c. w. STRZALKOWSKI 3,168,159

HEARING AID EARPIECE Original Filed Feb. .10, 1958 INVENTOR. CAT me E5 M4 snezmwawskl BY W, r 1Z4 A TTOfA/EY! United States Patent 3 3,168,159 HEARING AID EARPIECE Qharles W. Strzalkowski, 811 N. 27th St., Milwaukee, Wis.

Application Feb. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 714,298, now Patent No. 3,068,954, dated Dec. 18, 1962, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 308,444, Sept. 8, 1952. Divided and this application Aug. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 214,231

4 Claims. (Cl. 18123) This invention relates to a hearing aid earpiece. The present application is a division of application 714,298, now United States Patent 3,068,954, having been filed as a continuation of application 308,444, filed September 8, 1952, now abandoned.

The invention is particularly directed to conveying sound inconspicuously to eardrum or other point of perception and accomplishing this result without reducing the ability of the wearer to receive directly from their source such sounds as he is capable of hearing.

In one embodiment of my invention, I provide for a coupling of two sound tube sections through a special hole provided through the external ear in immediate proximity to the external auditory canal.

Whether or not the hole provided by auriculostomy in the outer ear is used, the sound is preferably conveyed to the ear canal by means which, according to the present invention, includes a mold within the outer ear having a passage through which the sound waves are led toward the canal, such mold being, however, spaced from the ear canal so that extraneous sound waves can reach the canal and the eardrum directly, without passing through the electrical reproducing mechanism. In the preferred construction herein disclosed, the passage from the reproducer has a terminal opening directed toward the ear canal and surrounded by a mold surface which is concave and constitutes a sound reflector spaced from the entrance to the ear canal.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of portions of the head and shoulder of a person wearing a hearing aid embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a detail view in posterior cross section through a portion of the users outer ear and through a mold constituting a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

When the outer car 26 is pierced by auriculostomy, the sound from reproducer 35 may conveniently be conducted by a tube 41 to a fitting 30 which has a male conduit connector 31 that penetrates the hole 20 in the outer ear and has a shoulder 32 abutting the posterior surface of the outer ear. The male conduit connector 31 is telescopically received into the tapered complementary socket 29 of the female conduit connector 22. Element 22 is a part of mold 240 which may either be molded to fit the concha in accordance with conventional practice or may be supported entirely by telescopic engagement frictionally with the male connector portion .31 of fitting 30. The shoulder 32 and the end of female conduit connector portion 22 of the mold 240 provide opposed surfaces between which the portion of the outer ear about the hole 22 is engaged.

In any case, the passage 230 within the mold constitutes an extension of the passage 34 in the male fitting 30.

Passage 230 terminates at an opening 231 which is directed toward theear canal 21, the mold being spaced from the ear canal to provide clearance 220 through which extraneous sound waves, not electrically reproduced, can enter the outer ear. A surface 45, preferably concave, and preferably adapted to function as a sound reflector, surrounds the terminus of the passage 230 to reflect sound waves into ear canal 21.

The arrangement eliminates any pressures within the external auditory canal which are sometimes experienced when an ear plug is used in connection with a hearing aid.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, no electrical microphone or amplifier is illustrated but it will be understood that wherever the reproducer 35 may be located, and however the sound is carried to the mold (whether or not it passes through an opening in the outer ear), there will be an electrical pickup at some point, with the usual amplification and a connection such as that shown at 36 to a reproducer communicating in some appropriate manner with the passage 239 of mold 240.

I claim:

1. In a hearing aid for use with an outer ear having a surgical opening therethrough, the combination with a conduit element including a first fitting for its support at the outer ear, said first fitting having a conduit terminal positioned to be directed into the external auditory canal and including means for venting the canal to the atmosphere, a reproducer, a second fitting at the posterior of the outer ear with which such reproducer communicates, a male connector on one of said fittings for extending through the said surgical opening, the other fitting having a female connector detachably engaged with the male connector, said first fitting having a terminal re-- fiector portion to which said conduit opens and which is spaced from the external auditory canal to provide said vent, both said fittings having portions materially larger than the male connector and having opposed surfaces spaced by substantially the thickness of the outer ear and having complementary passages for providing a continuous conduit through the ear opening on connection of said connectors.

2. In a hearing aid of the character described for use with a surgically perforated outer ear, the combination of male and female conduit elements adapted for telescopio connection, one of said elements comprising a fitting adapted to have its major portion posteriorly of the outer ear and the other comprising a fitting adapted to have its major portion within the outer ear, both said fittings having portions materially larger than the male conduit element and having opposed surfaces spaced by substantially the thickness of the outer ear to receive the outer ear between them and to abut the ear at opposite sides of said perforation, said fittings having complementary passages for providing a continuous conduit through the ear perforation upon connection of said elements, said other fitting element comprising a mold fitted to the outer ear and its said passage terminating in spaced relation to the ear canal of the wearer and directed thereto.

3. A hearing aid according to claim 2 in which said mold comprises a reflector bodily supported by the outer ear adjacent said perforation, said reflector having a concave face directed toward the auditory canal of the Patented Feb. 2, 1965* 6 ear, the said passage of the mold opening through the concave face of the reflector for projecting sound to the auditory canal.

4. A hearing aid comprising a conduit leading toward the external auditory canal, means engaging the ear for fixing the position of the conduit, the conduit having an opening directed into the external auditory canal and spaced from the said auditory canal of the wearer and adjacent which the external auditory canal is directly open to the atmosphere to be subject to atmospheric pressure and to receive air-propagated sound Waves, said means comprising a mold fitted to the outer ear and having a passage constituting part of said conduit, said mold further having a reflector portion spaced from the audii tory canal and comprising a concave face through which the passage extends, said concave face being directed to- Ward the auditory canal and the space between the said concave face and the auditory canal being open to the atmosphere.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,830,198 French Nov. 3, 1931 2,312,534 Fiene Mar. 2, 1943 2,545,731 French Mar. 20, 1951 2,641,327 Balmer June 9, 1953 2,738,850 Tooker Mar. 20, 1956 

4. A HEARING AID COMPRISING A CONDUIT LEADING TOWARD THE EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL, MEANS ENGAGING THE EAR FOR FIXING THE POSITION OF THE CONDUIT, THE CONDUIT HAVING AN OPENING DIRECTED INTO THE EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL AND SPACED FROM THE SAID AUDITORY CANAL OF THE WEARER AND ADJACENT WHICH THE EXTERNAL AUDITORY CANAL IS DIRECTLY OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE TO BE SUBJECT TO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND TO RECEIVE AIR-PROPAGATED SOUND WAVES, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A MOLD FITTED TO THE OUTER EAR AND HAVING A PASSAGE CONSTITUTING PART OF SAID CONDUIT, SAID MOLD FURTHER HAVING A REFLECTOR PORTION SPACED FROM THE AUDITORY CANAL AND COMPRISING A CONCAVE FACE BEING DIRECTED TOWARD THE AUDITORY CANAL AND THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SAID CONCAVE FACE AND THE AUDITORY CANAL BEING OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE. 